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Green Berets receive awards for valor at battalion ball

by Capt. Douglas A. Livermore

FORT CARSON, Colo. (USASOC News Service, April 25, 2014) – Brig. Gen. Darsie Rogers, the Commanding General of U.S. Army Special Forces Command, presented seven valor awards to Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), at a battalion ball on April 11, at the Antlers Hilton Hotel in Colorado Springs.

Lt. Col. Marc LaRoche and Command Sgt. Maj. Beau Dufour, the battalion command team, hosted the ball, which served as the culminating event for a week of activities recognizing the achievements of the unit during its 2013 deployments to various countries across Europe, Africa and Afghanistan.

As a representation of the unit’s service and brave actions during combat operations, Brig. Gen. Rogers presented three Bronze Star Medals for Valor and four Army Commendation Medals for Valor.

Here is a chronological account of the actions of the seven awardees:

In June, Capt. Douglas Livermore and three Green Berets from 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), aided in the defense of a Department of State facility in Kabul, Afghanistan, that was attacked by a Taliban force. Livermore helped save the lives of numerous individuals, earning the Army Commendation Medal for Valor.

In early July, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Hector Garibay and Staff Sgt. Jacob Howe risked their lives to save their wounded fellow Soldiers during a combat operation in Kapisa Province, Afghanistan. Insurgent forces ambushed the Afghan and Coalition patrol, wounding several and pinning down the rest. Howe exposed himself to heavy enemy fire and provided covering fire as Garibay advanced to recover the wounded. For their actions, Garibay was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Valor and Howe received the Army Commendation Medal for Valor.

In late July, Staff Sgt. Galan Griffith and Staff Sgt. Adam Burgan engaged and defeated a numerically superior force of entrenched enemy in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, with mini-gun and machinegun fire while enduring a heavy volume of concentrated return fire. Griffith and Burgan both received the Bronze Star Medal for Valor.

In September, Staff Sgt. Thomas Jaussi single-handedly defeated an enemy counter-attack against his patrol during a combat operation in Wardak Province, Afghanistan. Outnumbered, Jaussi provided decimating fires, receiving the Army Commendation Medal for Valor for his actions.

In late September, Master Sgt. Christopher Green placed himself directly in the line of fire between enemy fighters and one of his subordinates during an operation in Wardak Province, while dispatching the insurgents with precision fires. During the same mission, Green also personally destroyed an enemy machinegun position, earning the Army Commendation Medal for Valor.

Third Battalion returned in February from a nine-month deployment leading the Combined Special Operations Task Force Ten (CSOTF-10) in support of the ongoing NATO mission in Afghanistan. CSOTF-10, originally established by 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in 2007, has the primary mission to develop a sustainable Afghan law enforcement capability through the Provincial Response Companies (PRC) in eight provinces in Regional Commands East and Capital. CSOTF-10 includes forces from the United States and seven European nations. The multinational structure of the task force encourages and facilitates the development of interoperable special operations capabilities between NATO partners through experiences shared in Afghanistan. The multi-national elements of CSOTF-10 train, assist, and advise the PRCs to build enduring tactical, operational, and institutional capabilities.

Third Battalion Soldiers deployed to Afghanistan and assumed command of CSOTF-10 in June 2013. They disrupted and degraded enemy networks operating along the approaches to Kabul. CSOTF-10 provided critical security throughout Afghanistan’s eastern provinces and directly contributed to the advancement of U.S. objectives. These efforts better prepared the PRCs to face the Taliban in earnest during the 2014 fighting season and during the run-up for the Afghan national elections. Their efforts proved successful as the PRCs not only survived but thrived during the recent presidential elections.